Race in the Past: Challenge for Kagome's Heart!
by Arysta
Summary: Kagome's two worlds collide when Destiny's weaver decides to 'help,' right before the appearance of a mysterious youkai prince that wants to claim Kagome as his own!
1. Destiny's Change in Troubled Times

DESTINY'S CHANGE IN TROUBLED TIMES

"It's finished." Susame clapped her hands, then shut down the Interface. 

The Well had been altered, and the threads of fate had been carefully shifted. The girl wiped at the sheen of sweat on her forehead. The work had been very precise. Susame just hoped that it would have the effect she hoped for. The poor girl didn't deserve the stress that she was constantly bombarded by. 

"What have you done?" 

The girl jumped as the Priestess' voice rang through the ether. "L…Lady Agura! I… I…" She clasped her hands tightly and forced herself to calm down. "Lady, you said that the girl deserved to have her two worlds resolve themselves…."

The Lady descended the staircase gracefully. Her long violet hair and her glowing white robes trailed behind her. One hand rested on the smooth glide of the banister. The glare she gave her apprentice belied her angelic image. "So you took it upon yourself to fix her predicament?" The Lady's tone made her displeasure clear.

"Yes," Susame dropped her head.

Lady Agura let out a heavy sigh, and drifted closer. Susame tensed as she neared her, and jumped as the Lady's hand fell on her shoulder.

"Have I done wrong?" She asked.

"I fear you have," Lady Agura said, a hint of sadness in her voice. She reached out and tapped a few keys with her long, delicate fingers. The Interface responded instantly to her touch, flaring to life and projecting a great web of threads into the emptiness of the room. The Lady narrowed her eyes, turning in a slow circle as she examined the web. 

"What do you see?" Susame was becoming scared. The threads that surrounded her were myriad and very complex – far beyond the scope of her comprehension. The Lady's prolonged silence didn't bode well.

"I see trouble," Lady Agura said slowly. "I see confusion. I see very dangerous times ahead. Your act, though born of kindness, may have doomed those poor children."

Susame gasped. "No!" She balled her hand into a fist and bit at her knuckles. "There must be something that you can do!" 

"I will try," Lady Agura said. "You should go to your room and rest, I think."

Susame nodded and headed for the tall staircase. She glanced back once. Lady Agura was already plucking the threads and weaving them together. 


	2. Unexpected Travelers and Kidnapped! Agai...

CHAPTER ONE

UNEXPECTED TRAVELERS AND KOUGA'S SECOND KIDNAPPING

Kagome Higurashi had one goal that September day: to return to the feudal world on time. She had been returning later than expected more often than not in the last few months, and her friends inevitably worried. This time she had determined that she wasn't going to be late. She was so lost in thought that she didn't see the boy who stopped in front of her – or the soft smile that crossed his face as he noticed her. 

She ran smack into him.

"Oh!" She gasped, and stumbled backwards. Hojo-kun's hand caught her elbow and kept her on her feet. By the time Kagmoe had her wits about her the bag was on the floor, all of her books and belongings spilling out in a rush. 

Her eye locked on a small vial as it rolled free, and she restrained a gasp. The Shikon Shards! 

"I'm sorry," Hojo-kun said, and knelt to help her gather her belongings. His hand fell first to the vial. He held it in his hand, twisting it, clearly wondering as to the vial's contents.

"That's my medicine," Kagome said, only barely managing to wait for him to hand her the vial instead of snatching it from his grasp. Her face burned with embarrassment. She had never been a very good liar.

Hojo-kun didn't seem to notice. He nodded in understanding. "I heard that you were diagnosed with a rare bone disease." His hand touched her wrist. "I hope you're feeling better now."

A rare bone disease? Her grandfather was clearly running out of excuses for her absence. At least it wasn't something truly hideous like the Ebola virus. She could have sworn that she had heard him muttering about Flesh-Eating disease the last time she had been home, but hadn't had the energy to argue with him about it. 

"Yes, I've been feeling better," she said shyly. Hojo's dark eyes were filled with sympathy and good cheer. It made her feel ashamed for lying to him continuously. 

He chatted quietly while he helped her pick up the rest of her belongings.

She looked up to find Hojo watching her intently.

"What is it?" She closed the top flap of her bag, then settled the vial of Shikon Shards into their own small pocket. 

"Could I meet you tonight? I'd … like to talk to you," Hojo said hesitantly. 

Instantly, she thought of her tightly-planned schedule. She had homework to finish, packing to do, her backpack to repair, and then a jump into the Well to get back to Inuyasha and her other friends. 

"Please?" His hands folded over hers, pressing gently. 

Stunned at the contact—Hojo-kun had always been the model of decorum and reticence to her before—Kagome found herself agreeing to meet him in the courtyard at her parent's temple shortly before she had to leave. She was still processing her agreement when he helped her to her feet and walked off, pausing to wave before he turned the corner and was out of sight.

"That was so awesome!" Ayumi stood in awe, watching the corridor Hojo had gone down with stars in her eyes. "He wants to come to your house and talk to you!" 

Kagome lifted her backpack with one hand—she was happy that she hadn't yet filled it with the treats and necessities that she planned to take back with her when she went back through the Well. 

"Do you think he found out about your other boyfriend?" She asked, one finger perched on her chin. 

Kagome arched one brow slowly. Sometimes she wondered where her friends got their insane ideas about her love life—or lack of it. "I don't think so. I'll see you later?" She wanted to say tomorrow, but she knew that she was going to come down with some mysterious illness yet again, at least to Ayumi's eyes she was. 

"Okay! Maybe we can get together this weekend and study for the English exams?" 

Kagome's smile was real. "Maybe we can," she agreed. She wondered if Inuyasha would let her return for a study session. It wouldn't hurt to ask. 

Hefting her bag over her shoulder, Kagome started the long walk home. She wondered, absently, what Hojo wanted to talk to her about. She wondered what Inuyasha was doing, and if her friends from the Feudal Age had been attacked, or found any new Shikon Shards while she was in her own world.

She would know soon enough, she was sure. Content with that knowledge, she began to mentally review the checklist of things that she meant to carry with her when she left again. 

She was facing the temple steps before she knew it. 

*     *     *

The sky was colored with brilliant splashes of red, orange and soft blue, a montage that signaled the onset of evening to even the most thickheaded of people. The sun was descending quickly. Kagome was eager to make her way back to the Feudal Age.

She absently patted her newly-repaired bag. The stitching on the shoulder straps wasn't as neat as it had once been, but the bag was once more serviceable. It was also much, much heavier than it had been when she had arrived home after her last trip. Kagome smiled. Besides the usual treats for her friends she had managed to fit in many of her school books, so she would be able to study at night and prepare for the many exams that were coming up so quickly. Her mother had also bought her an assortment of first aid items (again!) so she had a full kit of creams, ointments, tablets and bandages. With Inuyasha's tendency to get injured, she was very thankful for the advanced medical knowledge that her era was able to provide for him. It may be somewhat egotistical a thought, but Kagome truly believed that sometimes her medicines truly meant the difference between the arrogant hanyou's life and a very ugly death. 

He probably wouldn't agree with that assessment.

She glanced overhead, noting the position of the sun in the western sky. Hojo-kun was late. She couldn't wait much longer. She really wanted to arrive when she said she would this time. If she didn't leave soon, she knew she wouldn't. Then Inuyasha would yell at her—again—about how she took advantage of his generosity. 

"Hah!" Kagome clapped a hand to her mouth when she heard the sound echo in the courtyard. Feeling foolish, she fingered the straps of her backpack and stood, stretching her back. Hojo-kun's discussion would just have to wait until the next time she was in the Modern World. 

Lifting the heavy pack, Kagome headed for the small shrine that housed the Bone-Eater's Well. She smiled when she thought of Inuyasha's expression when she actually managed to arrive when she said she would this time. 

*     *     *

Souta watched his sister trek toward the Well. She was smiling, and though she wasn't running, she certainly wasn't dragging her feet to the shrine. 

Kagome had changed since she had begun to travel to the Feudal Age, he reflected .At first it had been small things, moments where she would stare into space, times when she would look at him and he knew that she would be seeing something—or someone—else. Over the past few months, however, he had noticed the more pronounced changes in his sister's demeanor. Though she had never been weak, Kagome had become much stronger. Just the other day he had tried to lift her backpack. He hadn't been able to pick it up off the floor. Now she carried the bag, fully packed with food, drinks, first aid supplies and textbooks (at least he thought he had seen her stuffing her math book into the bag) like it weighed nothing. 

Her step was sure and steady—she had become more sure of herself in her travels—and though her temper had become more fierce when roused, there were moments when Kagome radiated a serenity, a peacefulness, that he had never seen before. 

Souta envied her her adventures. Traveling the country with Inuyasha-niichan, fighting youkai and collecting the pieces of the powerful Shikon no Tama that was their family's legendary legacy sounded like such fun! He knew it wasn't a game, though when she told them of all the places she had seen and the people she had met it sounded more like fairy tales than any account of real adventures. 

He wished that he could go with her and meet the people she met. He wanted to see Inuyasha-niichan fight with his powerful sword. 

"Hello?" 

Souta jumped at the voice, turning just as Kagome disappeared into the shrine. 

"I'm looking for Kagome Higurashi," the boy who stood behind him said politely. There was a girl with him. She had curly, shoulder-length hair, and Souta vaguely recognized her as one of Kagome's friends from school. He hadn't seen her at the Temple in a long time. The boy he had seen before. He came around asking after his sister's health often. Jii-chan always panicked when he saw any of Kagome's friends, and more often than not came up with some outlandish and totally unbelievable disease right on the spot to explain Kagome's absence. 

"She said that she would meet me here, but I am running late today." The boy had the grace to blush at the confession. 

Souta debated for less than a second. Kagome had talked about Hojo-kun before, though not as often as she spoke of Inuyasha. If she had agreed to talk to him, she would want to see him.

"She's in the shrine," he said, leading the way for his sister's two friends. "Kagome-chan," he called loudly to alert her, "Your friends are here to see you!" 

He threw open the doors to the shrine, Hojo and Ayumi on his heels, and found his sister poised on the edge of the Well, clearly prepared to through herself down through the portal to the past. She shifted the backpack on her shoulders and looked at him with wide eyes.

"Higurashi!" Hojo leapt down the stairs in a rush, "please, don't do this!" 

Ayumi was rushing after the boy. 

Souta blinked, confused, then realized that the boy thought that his sister was trying to commit suicide. 

"It cannot be that bad," he said passionately. "You may be ill, but you still have your life!" 

Kagome was shaking her head, clearly beyond explanations. 

Souta stepped forward, opening his mouth to explain, though he had no idea what he was going to say. He didn't know what exactly happened next, but he saw Hojo reach out, saw Kagome teeter on the edge of the Well, and then everyone fell forward in a rush. Souta found himself tumbling over the edge of the Well, and closed his eyes in preparation for a hard impact on the dirt below.

When he didn't hit quickly, he opened his eyes, and found that the world was rushing by him in strands of blue and red and gold. Kagome was ahead of him, looking calm and collected—and happy, and on either side were her school friends, still in their school uniforms. They looked scared. 

The trip was over quickly, and Souta found himself sitting in the dirt of the well. He knew that he was in the Feudal Age, and that knowledge stunned him. What was his mother going to think?  
Kagome jumped to her feet and began to climb the ladder that led out of the well.

"Where are we?" Ayumi asked, sounding bewildered. She was staring up out of the well into the night sky, not the ceiling of the shrine that surrounded the Well in the Modern time.

Kagome froze, then slowly turned around. "Ayumi? Hojo?" Her eyes met Souta's, and he found himself grinning. "Souta?" She stumbled back down the ladder, dropped her bag at her feet, and stared. "Oh no!" 

*     *     *

Kagome stared at the people seated in the dirt of the Well. Hojo and Ayumi, friends from school, and her younger brother, who was grinning like a fool. He knew where he was, and it was obvious that he was ecstatic about being here. 

She glanced up, expecting to hear Inuyasha's caustic voice any second, to see his silver hair trailing over the edge of the well as he watched for her return. Or maybe it would be Shippo who would see her first, who would throw himself into her arms and call her name happily.

"Where are we?" Ayumi repeated, slowly getting to her feet. Hojo was standing as well, tugging on his uniform-tunic and patting the dust from his legs. 

What should she do, she wondered. Return them to her time? Of course she had to. She had to tell them something, though, explain the trip somehow. Her mind scrambled for a plausible explanation, then she froze.

The feeling struck her suddenly. Shards of the Shikon no Tama. Close. Getting closer. A youkai?

She rushed up the ladder unthinkingly, throwing herself over the side of the Well and staring into the thickness of the forest from which the feeling came. She braced herself, setting the backpack down on the ground and taking up the bow and quiver of arrows that she had left there for when she returned. 

She looked around the clearing. There was no one there. No Inuyasha. No Shippo. No one.

A wolf howled in the distance, and the setting sun bathed the world in red. From behind her, Kagome heard the definite sounds of the others climbing out of the Well.

"Stay back," she commanded fiercely, drawing an arrow and notching it on the bow.

The Shards grew closer, and soon she saw the whirlwind that carried them to her. With a sigh, she released the bow, recognizing the swirl of motion that was headed for her. Kouga.

He skidded to a halt right in front of her, folding his arms over his chest and smiling that infuriatingly arrogant smile. "Kagome," he greeted. 

"Kouga-kun," she said, glancing around. She expected Inuyasha to leap from the bushes at any moment, brandishing Tetsusaiga and threatening the wolf youkai with all sorts of dire fates for daring to show his face around her. "What are you doing here?" She asked, sticking the arrow in her quiver.

She felt rather than saw Souta peering around her to see the face of the man she was talking to. 

Kouga leaned to see the three figures behind her. His nose twitched. "Who's that?" He demanded, pointing at Souta.

"That's my brother," she explained. 

"Ah," Kouga nodded, apparently satisfied, then took her arm. "Come on, we're leaving."

"What?" Kagome pulled at her arm, trying to break his grasp. Though Kouga had lost the Shikon Shard that had at one time been a part of his arm, he was still much stronger than she was. "I can't!" 

Where was he, she wondered.

"You are," Kouga said. "That dog face isn't taking care of you right, so I'm going to have to take you now."

"Wait!" She cried, stumbling as he began to pull her. "Inuyasha!" She cried aloud. Birds cried from high in the trees, but no sword-wielding hanyou appeared at her call. 

"My friends," she said desperately. "I can't leave them! What if they're attacked?"

"Leave Higurashi alone," Hojo said firmly, stepping forward. 

Kouga looked him over, then sniffed. "She's my woman," he said firmly. "Tell that puppy that I claimed her when he gets here." 

Kagome met Hojo's eyes. She wasn't surprised to find them filled with confusion. Ayumi was white as a ghost, and her eyes were wide and unblinking. Souta was glaring at the wolf youkai. He, of all of them, seemed to be taking these events in stride. 

"Souta," she shouted as she was pulled toward the foliage. Wolves gathered around Kouga's knees, sniffing her feet and legs. "Get Inuyasha!" Her gaze fell on her bulging backpack. The Shikon shards were in there. She glanced at Kouga, and knew that it was better not to mention them before him. "Hurry!" She shouted, right before the greenery swallowed her up and she couldn't see her friends anymore.

"He's going to come after me," she told Kouga. "He's going to be very mad that you kidnapped me again." 

The wolf youkai's arm settled around her waist. "I know," he said softly, very un-Kouga-like. "But I have to do this." He stopped, staring down at her, and she saw both pain and determination in his face. "You have to come with me now, my tribe depends on it."

The complete sincerity in his voice and gaze convinced her. "What's wrong, Kouga-kun?" She asked softly. 

He turned his face away, looking into the emptiness of the shadows that were quickly deepening around them. "I'll explain later, but you have to come with me. You are my woman. I will not take no for an answer!"

She wanted to argue, but his hands firmed around her torso, and Kouga took off in a rush of speed. 

The world flashed by as he carried her. Kagome's nose was filled with the reek of sweat and the distinctive odor of Kouga—the smell of wolf, and the slightly-electrical smell of youki. 

Inuyasha was going to kill them both. 

*     *     *


	3. Collision of Past and Present

CHAPTER TWO

COLLISION OF PAST AND PRESENT

"She's not going to be back tonight, so it doesn't matter," Inuyasha said stubbornly. His arms were folded across his chest and his eyes were closed as he leaned against the wall of Kaede's hut. 

"She might be," Sango argued. "I think that someone should go up and check just in case.

Inuyasha let out a long sigh, and stood up. "Fine," he said curtly.

Miroku was standing before the door before the hanyou was halfway across the room. "Not you," he said. "The sun will set soon, and you will be vulnerable. We've sensed many youkai lately, it will be dangerous to be out."

"Please," Sango inserted, "Stay inside and be safe tonight."

Inuyasha groaned, hands clenching into fists. Frustration built in his chest, frustration with the weakness of his human blood, with the slow, inevitable waning of his youki that would leave him a weak, defenseless human until morning. 

"I'll stay with Inuyasha," Shippo volunteered. 

Miroku and Sango nodded. "We can look quickly," Miroku said. "Kagome said that she would return this evening, so we should check around the Well."

"She can find the village on her own," Inuyasha said. 

Miroku stared at him.

The hanyou tried to beat back his concern for Kagome. He hoped that she would be gone another night, just until morning, just until he could protect her again. The number of youkai in the area had multiplied alarmingly recently, and no one was safe. "Go on," he said roughly. 

"Kagome is here," Shippo said suddenly. "She's calling for you!" He looked at the hanyou with wide, fearful eyes.

Inuyasha was immediately out the door, the rest of their party running to catch up. He glanced at the sun automatically. It was falling quickly, and his senses had already started to become dull, but he could make it to the Well if he hurried.

He threw himself into motion, running as fast as he could up the hill and toward the clearing. He didn't smell her, didn't hear her, and the lack of those senses had him gritting his teeth as he neared the Well that was a portal between their worlds. 

He skidded toward the clearing just as he caught the receding echo of Kagome's voice and the low-pitched growl of wolves. The sun set just as he burst through the bushes, and he gasped as he felt his claws recede and his strength fade to nothing.

By the time he stopped moving, he was fully human. Now-useless Tetsusaiga bumped his leg and he stared, heart in throat, at the trio that stood before him.

Two boys and a girl, all dressed in the Modern clothing that Kagome wore, or variations of it, but no Kagome.

"Wolves," Shippo whined. "I smell wolves!" 

The little kitsune scampered up onto Kiara's shoulder as the cat-youkai settled onto the earth. Sango and Miroku leapt from her back, weapons at the ready. 

"She's not here," Miroku said.

Inuyasha growled at the monk's inane statement. He curled his human hands into ineffective claws. He smelled the air, but his senses were too dull to be useful. 

He looked at the trio again. The older boy stood with his shoulders rigid. He was clearly scared, but not afraid of confronting the fighters. The girl's lips were trembling, and her eyes looked wet. She wasn't going to cry was she? Hastily, he looked at the last figure. Smaller than the others… 

Souta? 

Kagome's brother?

"What the hell?" Inuyasha blinked. "How did you get here?" He turned to the boy. "Souta?" Where was Kagome?  
Souta blinked, and the hanyou saw him swallow. "Who…. Who are you?"

Hojo stepped forward bravely, blocking the boy and the now-crying girl from Inuyasha's growled questions. 

"It seems that you have a definite advantage here," he said composedly. "Perhaps we should go somewhere safe where we can discuss this?" He glanced at the darkened forest that surrounded them. Inuyasha sensed the boy's apprehension, even with his muffled human senses. 

"Inuyasha, look!" Sango pointed to the side of the well, "Isn't that Kagome's backpack?"

A chill sped across his nerve endings, and he turned to see Kagome's distinctive yellow pack nestled against the base of the Well. He approached it warily. It was firm—real—when he touched it. He saw that the bow and quiver of arrows that she had left hidden among the grass were gone. At least she was armed. 

The dark-haired boy jumped in front of him, shoving his arm aside. "Leave Higurashi-san's belongings alone, please," he said firmly.

If he had been in his proper form, Inuyasha might have skewered the impudent bastard. As it was, he was going to have to leave that pleasure to the morning. Nothing stopped him from glaring at the boy and baring his teeth menacingly, however, and he suited action to the thought. "Where is Kagome?" He growled. 

"Inuyasha niichan?" Souta stepped forward timidly, staring up at him. The boy's eyes traveled over his haori with recognition, then halted on the dark hair and dark eyes that were definitely not part of Inuyasha's usual appearance. 

"Kagome came with you. What happened to her?" 

Sango laid a hand on his arm, silently counseling him to be gentle with the child. 

Inuyasha rolled his eyes but tolerated both the touch and the warning. "It's dangerous here, Souta, you know that. We have to find her before she gets hurt."

"She went off with her boyfriend," the girl blurted.

Inuyasha instantly transferred his attention to her. She wore the same clothing that Kagome usually did, and her hair was shoulder-length and very wavy. Her hands were pressed together tightly but shook anyway. He didn't find himself inclined to gentle his undoubtedly fierce expression, even in the face of her fear. "What boyfriend?" 

"She called him Kouga," the girl whispered.

"Kouga?" Sango echoed. "Kouga was here?" 

"That's what Kagome-chan called him." 

Inuyasha squinched his eyes shut and fought the fierce trembling that overtook him. "That bastard," he whispered. His hand clenched around Tetsusaiga's hilt. Fear for Kagome was uppermost in his mind. Kouga may be prince of the wolf-youkai, but he didn't have the strength or skill to protect her from the many demons who wanted to use her powers or take her life. If they had the misfortune to meet Naraku, there was no hope for either of them.

"What did he say?" He noticed that everyone was watching him, waiting for a reaction. When no one answered fast enough to suit him, he glared at the girl. "What did he say?" Inuyasha demanded, taking a step closer.

The girl's eyes were wide with fright, and as he came near her she squeaked loudly, then burst into tears.

Inuyasha threw his hands into the air and stomped off. "This is useless!" 

Miroku went to help the boy calm the girl. Inuyasha plucked Shippo from Kiara's back and dangled him by his tail. "Do you smell which way they went?" 

"I smell a lot of wolves, but Kagome's scent is very faint," the kitsune confided. "I think they went that way." 

Inuyasha glanced in the direction Shippo was pointing. "They probably headed for their nest." He grunted in satisfaction and plopped the small youkai back down. "We should get rid of them," he slanted a hostile glance at the three strangers, "and then we'll set out on her trail."

Sango edged toward Inuyasha, having heard his muttered conversation with Shippo. "We can't do anything tonight anyway," she reminded him. "We should take them to Kaede's hut. Once they are warm and comfortable it will be easier for them to talk about what happened here."

Inuyasha growled, but conceded that she had a point. "All right." He lifted Kagome's pack to his back in a familiar gesture and headed for the road to the village. He didn't wait to see if anyone else was following him. He didn't really care. All he could think about was the stinking wolf-youkai that had put Kagome's life in danger yet again, and how he was going to make him suffer for that offense. 

As soon as he was back to normal….

*     *     *

Ayumi walked cautiously, careful to stay close to Hojo-kun in case she was attacked by the strange people who surrounded them. Kagome's little brother Souta clutched her hand on the other side. She was glad to know that she wasn't the only one who was scared. 

She shivered, all too aware of the darkness that had closed in around them. 

What was going on? Where were they? One minute she had been standing in the courtyard of Kagome-chan's family Temple, and then she was falling down a Well and emerging… wherever she was. 

She didn't want to think about the odd man who had taken Kagome—a man who sported a tail and looked like a complete barbarian. She vaguely remembered Kagome telling them about a man called Kouga. She had said that he was obsessed with her. 

If that 'Kouga' had been obsessed with her, Ayumi was sure that she would have contacted the police long ago. There was something about him that was simply terrifying, and it wasn't just the fact that he seemed to be friends with a bunch of huge, slavering wolves. 

She looked around at their unasked-for escort.

Far ahead was the dark-haired rude boy dressed in odd red clothes. He called himself Inuyasha. Directly ahead of them was the Buddhist priest. His presence was calming, though it seemed to be out of place among the other members of his group. Behind them stalked the woman with the huge boomerang tied to her back. Her hand rested on the huge demonic cat, on which rode a cute little fox-boy. 

Ayumi was dismayed to realize that she considered the fox-boy cute. With a bushy tail and little fox-feet, it was clear that he was as much as monster as the huge cat he rode – or the scary man who had taken Kagome. 

"We'll be at the village soon," the priest said over his shoulder. "You can get some food and rest there." 

Though his words were kind, they were underscored with sheer steel. 

Perhaps he belonged with the rest of the people after all. 

She glanced at the woman again. She looked unaffected by the priest's tone, or the dark-haired boy's violent eruptions. There was a shadow in her eyes, however, a tenseness to her frame that Ayumi found disturbing. 

"Is Kagome all right?" 

Ayumi started at the fox-boy's quiet question, and even more at the fierce-looking woman's assured tone when she answered. "Kouga will take care of her."

"Inuyasha will kill him for kidnapping her again."

The girl smiled. It was a dark look on her pretty face. All Ayumi could think was 'again?' The man had kidnapped Kagome before?

"I think that Kagome-chan will take care of Inuyasha," the woman laughed. 

The fox-boy laughed too.

The priest smiled back benignly.

They walked until they crested a hill, and down below spread a village of fields and small huts. The hut that the dark-haired boy led them too was on the edge of the village. Parked against the wall was a well-cared for bicycle. One that looked oddly familiar.

The dark-haired boy stalked into the hut. The priest was kind enough to hold aside the woven hanging door to let them walk through before he stepped through himself. They filed in one by one. 

Ayumi gulped as she watched the huge fanged cat change before her eyes into a bitty, bright-eyed kitten. The kitten scrambled onto the fierce-looking woman's shoulder, no doubt digging her claws in for purchase as the woman took off her huge boomerang and laid it on the floor. 

The hut was warm, though close with so many people stuffed inside of it. Besides Hojo-kun, Kagome's brother and the menagerie of weirdness that had met them at the mysterious Well was an old woman who wore a patch over one eye and was dressed in the traditional clothing of a priestess. 

Maybe now, she thought as she huddled against the wall and stared at the people around her, maybe they could get some answers. 

*     *     *

Souta looked around the small hut with no little interest. He had recognized Kagome's bicycle leaning against the hut, and he was beginning to match the real-live people that surrounded him with the sketches and tales that Kagome had told him so often.

"You're Shippo," he said abruptly, staring at the creature that his sister described as a kitsune. He had looked up what exactly a kitsune was at that library after she had first mentioned the little one that she called Shippo-chan. They were supposed to be tricky creatures, and some were legendary as illusionists. He had sort of expected Shippo to be bigger. 

The priest was easy to identify. "You're Miroku." The priest smiled widely and nodded.

"Sango." Even the fierce woman colored with pleasure at being readily identified. The cat-like creature—youkai, Souta corrected his thinking—twisted its head in question. "You're Kiara," he said. The youkai trilled in agreement. 

"You must be Kaede-baba." The old miko folded her arms over her chest. 

They dispensed with the rest of the introductions quickly. 

Souta furrowed his forehead as he stared at the all-too-human boy wearing Inuyasha's haori. He also wore a rosary that looked exactly like the one that gave Kagome the power the plant Inuyasha face-first wherever he stood. "Why do you look so different?" He asked. 

Inuyasha glared at him from under the thick blackness of his hair. His dark eyes were disconcerting. "At least she didn't tell everyone," the half-demon muttered. 

"Now that we are warm and safe," Miroku began, "perhaps you can explain what happened to Kagome-sama?"

Souta noticed the sudden tautness of Inuyasha's grip on his haori, and the throbbing of the muscles in the boy's jaw. 

"What did the wolf say," Inuyasha asked. 

"Her boyfriend said that he was taking her. That she wasn't being taken care of right, so he was taking her back." Ayumi must not have noticed the convulsive grip that the dark-haired boy took on the battered hilt of his sword. (Souta's recognition of the very powerful blade that Inuyasha carried convinced him more than anything else that inside the changed human face the awe-inspiring hanyou who had saved his sister's life so many times did indeed exist.) She couldn't have seen the violent flickering of the boy's eyebrows either, but Souta saw both. He knew that Inuyasha was on the verge of a very loud, and in all probability fairly childish explosion of temper.

"She didn't want to go," he said hastily.

They were the right words to say. Inuyasha calmed down quickly, and Souta found himself breathing much easier. Even though he didn't project the same powerful aura, the boy knew what the half-demon was capable of. He didn't want to be at the wrong end of Testusaiga if he could help it! 

"She told me to get you," he continued. 

The eyebrow started twitching again.

"We need to find her," Hojo said. "That … beast … said that she was his woman." 

"Poor Kagome-chan!" Ayumi cried, tears in her eyes. "She said that Kouga-kun was obsessed with her, but that his love wasn't returned. How could that man do this to her?" 

"He obviously has no care for Higurashi-san's health," Hojo continued with Ayumi's supportive nod.

"Her health?" Miroku asked. He was, Souta noticed, slowly edging toward Ayumi. From Kagome's tales the boy knew that the priest was up to his usual behavior. 

"She's been unwell! In the hospital even!" Hojo said. "I'm sure she doesn't want anyone to know, but she's been taking experimental medication to control her condition. I fear for Higurashi's life if she is not properly cared for." 

"Hospital?" Miroku echoed the word. 

"Kagome-chan told me about those places," Kaede contributed. "They are buildings where doctors treat wounds and sicknesses with specialized medicines and treatments."

"She has been to this hospital place recently?" Sango asked. 

Souta sighed. "Kagome isn't sick."

Though he said it quietly, Hojo turned to him, expression fierce. "Untrue! I saw her medicine myself only this morning!" His eyes gained a faraway look. "I…I knocked her off her feet—accidentally!—and the medicine fell out of her bag. She was very embarrassed about it."

Souta fell back against the wall of the hut. Was Kagome actually sick?

"I assure you," Hojo continued, "that she was truly unwell. Her face was flushed, and her skin was cold."

"Her skin?" Inuyasha interrupted. "How do you know her skin was cold?" The hanyou was fingering the pommel of his blade menacingly. 

Hojo ignored the growled question, and the threat couched behind the blunt words. "She was shaking with weakness, and looked almost feverish."

"You held her hand!" Ayumi cried out.

Hojo blushed.

A heavy rumble sounded in the small hut. It came, Souta realized after a moment, from Inuyasha's throat. Scary! 

"We were to meet," Hojo said, becoming redder still, "but I was late arriving at her family's Temple. We found her on the edge of the well. She did not look herself."

"That's true," Ayumi nodded. "She looked very odd."

Inuyasha jumped to his feet and pushed open the curtain-like door.

"Inuyasha," Miroku said instantly. "You should stay in tonight."

"Feh!" The hanyou disappeared into the darkness.

Sango and Miroku looked at each other, and the youkai exterminator turned to the kittenish Kiara. "Keep an eye on him," she told the small youkai.          

Kiara meowed, and meandered out of the hut.

"Inuyasha is worried about Kagome-chan," Kaede said. "His temper is uncertain. The best thing right now is for you all to eat something filling." She glanced at the wall. "He is going to want to leave tonight."

Sango nodded, and sighed. "Hojo, Ayumi and Souta should stay here while we go find her," she said.    

Kaede-baba pinched her chin between two fingers. "No," she said decisively. "They must go with you." 

"It is dangerous for any traveler," Miroku reminded the old miko.

"There is a reason that they are here, though we do not know what that reason is. They will travel with you to find Kagome." Her voice brooked no argument.

They ate in relative silence. Souta was soon full, and found that the soft, warm glow of the fire was making him drowsy. At some point, Inuyasha returned to the hut and got a bowl of stew from the pot that crouched over the first. Kiara tumbled in behind him.

"Ayumi," Miroku asked as they were all finishing up. "You are very beautiful." He took the girl's hand between his own. "Would you bear my child?" 

Ayumi blushed brightly, even in the dim light, and Souta blinked with interest. He knew what was coming next. The monk's hand was already traveling.

 Ayumi jumped a second later, her hand flashing out to meet the monk's cheek with a resounding slap. Sango's boomerang crashed down on his head right after. 

Inuyasha snorted and shook his head. 

"Miroku," Shippo chided, staring at the monk's crumpled form.

Ayumi stared first at Miroku, then at her reddened hand.

Souta smiled at the almost-familiarity of it, and let his eyes drift closed. All that was missing was Kagome, and everything would be perfect.

*     *     *


	4. Kouga's Cunning Plan and Campfire Confid...

CHAPTER THREE  
KOUGA'S CUNNING PLAN & CAMPFIRE CONFIDENCES

"We're almost there," Kouga said. "Just over this ridge."

Kagome sighed, hoping that it was true. Kouga was gentle with her, but traveling with the wolf youkai wasn't nearly as nice as traveling with Inuyasha. Though she knew that he wouldn't drop her, it wasn't as comfortable to be clasped tight to him by an iron-hard arm around her waist as it was to be settled into the warmth of Inuyasha's back. There was also the added complication of her bow and arrows. The quiver was showing a remarkable determination to become part of her shoulder. If she didn't know better she might suspect that the weapon held a shard of the Shikon itself. 

Kouga cleared the ridge and skidding to a halt. Momentum carried Kagome a bit further, and for a moment she worried that she would go flying over the edge of the cliff, but Kouga's arm held steady. 

"Come on," the wolf youkai urged her down the steep ridge. He was already halfway down when she finally moved forward, and at the bottom when she stumbled on her third step, coming down hard onto the rocky earth.

She lay stunned, feeling nothing, and gathered her wits.

"Hurry up," Kouga called from down below.

The pain set in when she tried to move, sharp spikes of agony from her ankle, her thigh and her arms. "It hurts," she said aloud, trying to twist her arm to see where she had been injured.

Blood stained the rocks below her leg. Her ankle ached more, she diagnosed immediately, from a pulled or sprained muscle than from an open wound.

"Kagome," Kouga's voice carried up the hillside. "The nest is just below you. You can rest there!" 

It seemed that she wasn't going to be getting any help from that quarter, she observed. Kagome took a moment to indulge in a fantasy. She had been injured. Inuyasha would be, of course, furious, Sango and Miroku concerned. Shippo would probably clutch her and cry. Inuyasha would carry her to some safe, flat place, and then he would dig through her bag and find bandages and ointment (he was very familiar with her future medical supplies, as often as he got injured) and then watch, looking somehow both concerned and uncaring, as she tried to fix her injuries. Miroku and Sango would eventually come and help.

Of course, Inuyasha wasn't there, and he wasn't going to be there any time soon. 

She had noticed that it was the new moon while Kouga ran. That meant that Inuyasha was in his human form for the night. She hoped that they were all safe. She thought of her brother, and Ayumi and Hojo, who had somehow managed to follow her into the past. Had they found safety? Had one of her friends found them? At least Souta had met Inuyasha enough times to recognize him. 

He had never seen Inuyasha in his human form, though. 

Another pain shot through her ankle, banishing all rambling thoughts of her friends. Ignoring the stinging of her cuts, Kagome got onto her hands and knees, then levered herself to her feet. 

She moved gingerly, gritting her teeth to avoid crying aloud with the pain, and shuffled her way down the hillside. Several times she skidded and just barely caught herself. She ended up with palms as bruised and cut as her legs were. 

It wasn't the first time that she thought with longing of the thick denim jeans that were folded in the bottom of her backpack. 

When she finally reached the bottom of the hillside—her final steps accompanied by a shower of dirt and rock chips—she found only a wolf at the bottom. It whined at her arrival, and shoved its warm, moist muzzle into the palm. Kagome winced at the pain. The wolf snuffled her skin, then whined in what she thought fancifully was sympathy. It led her straight to the familiar waterfall, then waited until she had ducked beneath the curtain of water and into the warm, cozy closeness of the wolf youkai nest before jumping in after her. 

It yipped once. A few heads turned, a few of the pack members raised hands and called greetings to her, and then Kouga was looming over her, hands braced on his hips.

"What took you so long?" He demanded loudly. "Those hills aren't safe to wander around."

Tired, sore, and very worried about her friends and brother, Kagome felt her irritation indicator reach red-line. "I noticed," she bit out, brushing past the tall youkai prince. She headed for the niche where she remember his huge bed was situated. When she reached the bed, she fell upon it gratefully, letting herself go boneless. 

She didn't bother to look up when Kouga's feet stopped right in front of her face. She was too busy wishing that she would never have to move again. 

"Don't you want to hear what I need you for?" He asked.

Okay, she admitted it, that was an enticement. With a groan of displeasure she rolled over. "What do you want, Kouga-kun?" 

He sat on the bed. A loose crowd had gathered at their feet. Kouga took a moment to glare at them, and they backed a few steps away. Kagome wondered why he had bothered. Youkai hearing meant that they would know whatever he was going to tell her anyway. 

She supposed it was a gesture of respect, an acknowledgement that Kouga had earned some illusion of privacy when it was needed. 

"It's not just because the puppy is incompetent," he began. 

"If you're just going to insult Inuyasha," Kagome said, "I'm just going to go to sleep."

Kouga growled low in his chest. It was very similar to the growling that Inuyasha did when he was upset—or when she pet his ears. 

"My pack's territory has been… invaded," Kouga continued, "and I must fight him to keep our hunting grounds and our land. As a youkai prince, however, I must show my strength in numbers. You, Kagome, my woman, are strong. You carry much weight as a member of our pack. You will tip the balance in my fight against this invader." He clasped her hands tightly between his. "So you see, you must stay with me now. I cannot allow you to go traveling across the country with that…" he eyed her uncertainly, "hanyou." 

She didn't want to admit it, but his reasoning made sense. She didn't know much about youkai society, but she could believe that he did. She had known, of course, from the very beginning that he had claimed her as his woman not only because he loved her (he had shouted that quite openly for all to hear) but also because her ability to sense and find Shikon Shards was very valuable to him personally and to his pack as a whole.

"What do I have to do?" His pack already considered her his woman, and greeted her as such. They called her sister. What more was necessary?

"You will have to sleep with me."

"Eeh?" She leapt back, horrified. Sleep with Kouga-kun? "I don't… I can't… no!" 

Kouga's brows drew together. "Why not? I will wash before I join you in the bed."

"I … I have a boyfriend, remember?" She fanned her heated face and tried to ignore the eagerly listening ears of the pack members that filled the nest. 

Kouga snorted. "That whelp?" He cowed under Kagome's fierce glare. "You don't have to mate with me, not until that… hanyou… is dead. I must nuzzle you properly, though. You have to smell like my mate."

Suddenly she understood. Relieved, she fell back to the hard surface of the bed. He didn't mean sleep with him sleep with him. He meant sleep with him share a bed with him. Her tired mind only made the distinction that there wasn't going to be any forbidden hanky panky going on. "Okay," she agreed, "as long as it's just nuzzling."

Kouga yelped—apparently in pleasure—and soon the howling cry was taken up around the entire nest. Spears and swords were thrust into the air, and even the wolves joined the impromptu celebration. 

Smiling and wishing desperately for a pair of earplugs, Kagome curled into the bed and fell asleep. 

*     *     *

"We're going to have to stop for the night," Miroku observed. "It's getting late. Souta and Shippo have already fallen asleep." He motioned to the two youngsters, sprawled together on Kiara's back. Sango's hand kept the cat youkai steady while they dozed.

Hojo looked at the dark-haired boy that was leading them in their trek. He was rude, arrogant, and almost barbaric. Around his neck hung a string of archaic beads, and his feet were bare! He had appropriated Higurashi's backpack as well. The modern bag looked incongruous against his old-fashioned clothing, but no one seemed to notice.

"Inuyasha?" Sango, the woman who carried a giant boomerang, spoke up.

"I heard you," the boy groused. "If you see a place, we'll stop."

They tramped on. It wasn't easy to walk. There was no moon at all, and they were moving through the forest. Even the boy—Inuyasha—was stumbling on hidden roots every once in a while. Each time he did he let out a long, muttered string of curses, some of which Hojo seriously doubted made any sense at all.

They crunched through the undergrowth for another ten minutes or so. In the distance Hojo heard the howl of wolves and the cries of night predators. 

"Here's a spot," Inuyasha said, detouring off of the trail and into a clearing. Hojo followed a few paces behind, and was surprised to find that the boy had found a fairly pleasant alcove. Trees swayed overhead, and he heard the near-silent rush of river water if he concentrated on the sound. 

While Souta and the small fox slept, and Hojo and Ayumi stared at each other, the others split up silently and went about the well-oiled routine of making camp. It wasn't until the fire was crackling merrily that Hojo noticed where the holes were evident.

First was the small discussion over who was going to get water—and how they were going to get it. After some confusion, the monk headed toward the river. Then was the argument about dinner. 

"It's too late to fish," Miroku said slowly. 

The three were very quiet. After a time Hojo noticed that both Sango and Miroku were glancing at Higurashi's bulging backpack. He wondered at their behavior. 

"Do you see them, Ayumi-san?" He asked. 

Higurashi's classmate leaned closer to him. He supposed that she felt safer—he was a known quantity in the midst of a confusing, chaotic jumble. "See what?" She asked, blinking big dark eyes. 

"They keep watching the bag," he whispered. "See how that girl glances at it out of the corner of her eye?"

"Maybe they think there's food in it?" Ayumi-chan wondered aloud.

It was likely. He shrugged. 

"Dammit!" Inuyasha's forceful outburst startled everyone, and woke the sleeping children. He jumped to his feet. The glimpses of his face that Hojo could see through the obscuring curtain of dark hair left no doubt to the boy's annoyance.

He grabbed the backpack and pulled it toward him easily. "I'm not going to skip dinner tonight just because *she* got kidnapped!" 

The fox-boy yawned and rolled to his feet, then darted over to sit near the boy's knee. "Do you see my chocolate?" He asked.

"Give me time to look!" Inuyasha glared at the fox-boy. He started to dig in Higurashi's bag. 

Hojo was glad that he had taken advantage of their camp-preparation time to retrieve Higurashi-san's important medication before the crazy boy fell upon it. He touched his pocket lightly to assure himself that the vial was still there. 

Textbooks were being flung to either side—Hojo heard Ayumi's gasp at the rough treatment of the books. Many of the texts he recognized. Why did Higurashi have so many textbooks in her bag? 

The boy slowed in his emptying of the bag, and took time to carefully remove what looked like a small hospital's worth of first aid equipment. Bandages, creams, bottles of pills and what looked like medicinal teabags were laid carefully aside.

The fox-boy jumped toward the backpack. His head was swallowed to the shoulders. "My candy!" He cried, falling backwards out of the bag. He clutched a package of candy to his chest. 

"You shouldn't be going through her things," Hojo said.

Inuyasha paused in his exploration of the bag to glare at him. Without saying a word, he went back to the contents of the bag. "Ahhh!" He sighed happily as he began to pull out familiar-looking packages of snack food. There were soft drinks, chips, and dried ramen noodle bowls. 

The boy opened the bag of chips easily, taking them and retreating to lean against a tree trunk to eat. 

"What would you like to eat?" Sango asked Souta, who picked a noodle bowl. 

"I will boil the water," the monk said. 

Souta smiled wearily. "What time is it, do you think?"

The monk looked up at the stars. "Probably a few hours before mid-night."

"Do you think my sister is all right?" He asked in a quiet voice. 

Hojo felt sorry for him. Even though Higurashi supposedly knew these characters, Souta-kun didn't. He was as alone as Hojo and Ayumi were in the strange World-In-The-Well that they found themselves in.

While the water boiled, Ayumi repacked the yellow bag. She took a few moments to look over the thick books that had sat at the top. English, mathematics, and history were just a few of the topics that Higurashi-san evidently intended to review sometime soon.

From the familiarity of the people with Higurashi's bag, and with the food and bandages she had brought with her, Hojo knew that Keade's incredible story was true. Higurashi had fallen through the Well, and did travel with these people. 

He wondered, as he nibbled on a snack bar he had liberated from Higurashi-san's stash, how well they knew her, though. They hadn't been aware of her frequent sicknesses, that had been very clear. 

He wondered how people who were such friends could have missed the signs. The tiredness that lingered in her eyes, the depression that clearly haunted her. She was losing weight, as well. He had noticed that some time back.

Hojo's hand clenched tightly upon his knee. The memories of his older sister's slide from health to death were perilously close to the surface lately. Katt-chan hadn't wanted to admit her sickness, either. Her friends had found out only after the doctor had given her the news—her illness was terminal.

Hojo dropped his head. He would not let Higurashi die as his sister had. He would be there for her. He would talk to her, and make sure she knew that someone appreciated her. 

Kagome Higurashi would not die mourning for a boy's attention. 

"Are you all right?"

It was Ayumi, of course. 

"I'm fine," he said, exaggerating the yawn the welled in his throat. 

"Do you know how we sleep?" She asked in an almost-whisper. 

Hojo, who had been wondering himself, glanced at the group making themselves comfortable around the fire. They had simply curled up near the warmth, and looked to be fairly comfortable. 

"Come on," he urged, inching closer to the fire. "We'll be home soon."

Ayumi was careful to keep a generous space between them as she laid down, twisting and flipping. "I miss my bed already," she muttered, pillowing her head on her arms. 

She was snoring softly in a matter of minutes.

Hojo lay awake on the warm, hard ground. He was tired, but still restless. He let the conversations flow around him for a time before he bothered to listen to the soft murmur between the friends.

"I can find that damned nest tonight," Inuyasha swore. "You can meet me tomorrow."

"What if you run into trouble?" Miroku asked. "It would be better to wait until morning. You'll travel faster then anyway."

Inuyasha grumbled under his breath. 

"I know you're worried…"

"Feh!" 

"Inuyasha, Kouga will take care of Kagome-chan," Sango said calmingly. 

"He'd better," the dark-haired boy groused. "Or I'll gut him."

The silence grew loud around them, then Hojo heard a scuffling sound, then a low growl. "Shippo…." Inuyasha's voice held a clear threat.

"I miss Kagome," the fox-boy said. He sounded pitiful. Apparently Inuyasha thought so too. Hojo heard a quiet curse, then a contented child-like sound. 

"Hey, watch the claws!" 

Eventually he fell asleep.

*     *     *

Inuyasha hated his human body. He liked it more now than he had earlier, though, as long as he reminded himself that Miroku, Sango and even Kagome were human. Their strength defied their fragile forms. They didn't hide out because of their weakness. He didn't have to either.

Those thoughts only spurred his urge to get to his feet and run. It would be long and difficult, but by morning he may be near the wolf youkai nest—and Kagome. 

Miroku and Sango were right, though. He paused in his thinking to rearrange himself as Shippo squirmed against his chest. The night was nearly half over. He only had a few hours before his demon blood returned. He could wait that long. When he found her, Kagome might need his full strength to rescue her. If nothing else, waiting would assure that the weakling wolf would be thoroughly punished for this latest offense.

His thoughts broadened as Sango and Miroku fell asleep. Shippo curled against his chest and Tetsusaiga cradled in his arms, Inuyasha contemplated the three visitors from Kagome's world. He was familiar with her brother. The other two, though… the girl who was a classmate and the boy… he wondered what the boy was to Kagome. 

Had she been sick? That was another concern. He hadn't seen her in days. It was possible that she had gotten sick while she was in her own world. Normally he would have smelled it if she was ill, even if she wasn't around. He would have smelled it in the scent that lingered on her bag, or on the books and bandages that she had packed. 

In his human form he could smell nothing.

Tomorrow morning he may be able to tell, if the scent hadn't dispersed too much.

Would Kouga care for her? Sango seemed to think so.

She was his responsibility. 

If he hurt her, Tetsusaiga would send his soul to the netherworld. Then Inuyasha would bathe in his blood. 

He yawned, his human body betraying him. 

There was a bonus to that plan, he decided. They would get two more Shikon Shards to add to their collection.

*     *     *


End file.
